Mark Hendricks accepts director position at Federal Way Boys & Girls Club

The longtime Ballard Boys & Girls Club executive director Mark Hendricks has accepted the position as director of the Federal Way club, according to the Boys & Girls Club of King County board chairman Brad Thoreson. Shelley Puariea, director of the Federal Way club, will be the new director of the Ballard club.

Thoreson says he regrets the way CEO Calvin Lyons chose to tell Hendricks, and believes there should have been more forewarning to the community and to Hendricks. He said Lyons, “didn’t do a good job in getting community up to speed. Not letting them [the community] know why…that’s the big misstep,” Thoreson said in a phone interview.

In regards to the decision to transfer Hendricks, Thoreson said the choice is sound, and in the best interests of the organization. “Mark will be able to nurture donors there because of his personality,” he said, adding that the executive director job will alter as some new changes are rolled out. In the new model, Thoreson says the director will no longer be responsible for fundraising, rather, the focus will be on programming, kids, and staff. Thoreson says in the future, fundraising will be handled by “pods” that will be responsible for a cluster of clubs.

“The simple answer is that this move will work out and it should be fine,” he explained. “We could have avoided damage control if we engaged the community,” Thoreson added. He said the transition period will be a few weeks, with each director in their new role by the beginning of October.